Incident Publication

Incident Summary:  Fire lines across the Rough Patch Fire were tested by unfavorable weather on Friday.  Low humidity and gusty southwest winds aligned with terrain causing increased fire activity in several locations.  Despite firefighter’s efforts for the past several days, fire spotted across the 2460 road along the northern portion of the Chaos Fire near the Bohemia Mining District.  The Lane County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 3 (Go now) evacuation notice for this area Friday afternoon.  This was due to the fire activity, spots, and some structures being threatened.  Other places within the Rough Patch Complex experienced increased fire growth and activity but held within primary control lines.  A change in weather will occur over the weekend with wetting rain being received across all areas of the fires.  This will allow firefighters an opportunity to engage the spot fires and work on additional control measures.

Chaos and Little Bend Fires:  The Chaos Fire is 27,903 acres and the Little Bend Fire is 9,269 acres. The Chaos Fire was very active on Friday.  A combination of dry air, wind, and alignment with terrain caused the fire to spot beyond a section of primary control lines along Noon Day Ridge near Grizzly Mountain. The activity spurred a Level 3 evacuation of the area south of Grizzly Creek in the Bohemia mining area. The fire was also active in the Horse Heaven drainage with wind causing spotting and additional growth.  Firefighters were successful in continuing work in other areas, such as the eastern portion of the Little Bend Fire.  Work continued in sections of the 310 and 3818 roads to create additional control lines.  Fire crews were also able to improve and strengthen the southeastern edge of the Little Bend Fire, within the 600 road systems.  Containment lines on the west and southern portions of the Chaos and Little Bend Fires are holding well with some additional containment.  

Jack and Buckhead Fires:  The Jack Fire is 24,165 acres, and the Buckhead Fire is 6,976 acres.  Although weather conditions tested most areas of these fires, existing containment lines held well.  The west, north, and northeast perimeters of containment remain sound.  A spot fire south of the 2715 road was active on Friday and is burning in a previous fire scar. The spot fire progressed to just south of Raven Rock and the 675 road. However, the fire is progressing into a burned area of less vegetation which should provide additional control opportunities there.

Near Minky Fire:  The Near Minky Fire is at 4,869 acres. All containment lines are holding well, and there was no significant fire activity today. Information on the nearby Smith Fire that is burning toward the Near Minky Fire can be obtained at the Devil’s Knob Complex Inciweb page https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7771/.

Evacuations and Closures:  Evacuations and closures are found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7758/.

·        The Lane County Sheriff’s Office has issued a level 3 evacuation for the Bohemia Mining District area.  The evacuation notice can be found at https://bit.ly/3zq4DYJ.

·        Umpqua and Willamette National Forests have temporarily closed areas of both forests due to the Jack Fire, Rough Patch Complex, and Devil's Knob Complex.

·        Amended BLM Roseburg District fire closure: BLM road 24-1-26 (Francis Creek) from the junction with BLM road 25-1E-31 (Canton Creek Road) North to the Roseburg District Boundary in Township 24 South Range 1 West Section 1 will remain closed.

·        Highway 138 between Roseburg and Diamond remains open. Expect short delays for hazard tree removal operations east of Glide. Slow down and be alert.

 

Fire and Weather:

The Rough Patch Fire is now at 50,212 acres and the Devils Knob at 69,301 acres. Both are 37 - 49% contained. Today should be rainy and wet most of the day which will result in minimal fire behavior. Overnight should be cool and clear.

Smoke:

The rains yesterday slowed fire growth, though there are pockets of small fires within the containment area. These small shouldering logs will produce very little smoke.

Incident Summary:  A soaking rain over the last 24 hours minimized fire activity across the entire Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fire. A strong front early Saturday morning brought over 1.5 inches rain, low wind speeds and cool temperatures that slowed fire growth overall. The weather shift has given fire managers opportunity to refine suppression repair and additional control measures. Sunday will bring more rain but clearing with calm winds by evening. A drying trend is expected starting Monday afternoon. Moderate fire activity is anticipated by mid-week as fuel moistures dry out. Lane County Evacuation Level 3 is still in effect on the northern portion of the Chaos Fire near the Bohemia Mining District.

Chaos and Little Bend Fires:  The Chaos Fire is 28,696 acres and the Little Bend Fire is 9,382 acres.  Fire behavior across the Chaos and Little Bend Fires was minimal due to the recent rain allowing fire managers to develop a plan to build containment lines around spot fire that crossed over the 2460 road in the Bohemia Mining District. Work continued along the 3829 road removing hazard trees allowing crews to safely work on suppression repair to keep soils and debris out of the drainages. Containment lines on the west and southern portions of the Chaos and Little Bend Fires are holding well with some additional containment in the southeast. 

Jack and Buckhead Fires:  The Jack Fire is 24,165 acres, and the Buckhead Fire is 7,223 acres.  Containment held along the west, north and northeast perimeters of the fires. On the southeast edge of the Buckhead Fire crews continued containment efforts along the 2715 road.  The spot fire that was discovered north of the 2715 continued to show heat on infrared.  Information on the nearby Smith Fire can be found at the Devil’s Knob Complex Inciweb page https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7771/.

Near Minky Fire:  The Near Minky Fire is at 4,868 acres. All containment lines are holding well, and there was no significant fire activity today.

Evacuations and Closures:  Evacuations and closures are found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7758/.

·        The Lane County Sheriff’s Office has issued a level 3 evacuation for the Bohemia Mining District area.  The evacuation notice can be found at https://bit.ly/3zq4DYJ.

·        Umpqua and Willamette National Forests have temporarily closed areas of both forests due to the Jack Fire, Rough Patch Complex, and Devil's Knob Complex.

·        Amended BLM Roseburg District fire closure: BLM road 24-1-26 (Francis Creek) from the junction with BLM road 25-1E-31 (Canton Creek Road) North to the Roseburg District Boundary in Township 24 South Range 1 West Section 1 will remain closed.

·        Highway 138 between Roseburg and Diamond remains open. Expect short delays for hazard tree removal operations east of Glide. Slow down and be alert.

Incident Summary:  As much as 2 inches of rain fell over the majority of the Rough Patch Complex and the Jack Fire since Friday night.  This significant amount of rain decreased fire activity across all fires to only smoldering in heavy fuels.  No fire spread has taken place for over 48 hours due to low winds speeds, 100% humidity brought by rain fall and cool temperatures.  This very favorable weather has given fire managers time to plan for additional control measures to bring these fires closer to containment and focus on fire suppression repair.  Moderate weather is in the forecast throughout the week which will further aid firefighting efforts.  Lane County Evacuation Level 3 is still in effect on the northern portion of the Chaos Fire near the Bohemia Mining District, but landowners in that area should stay tuned for potential changes to the evacuation level.

Chaos and Little Bend Fires:  The Chaos Fire is 28,696 acres and the Little Bend Fire is 9,382 acres.  Fire behavior across the Chaos and Little Bend Fires continues to be minimal due to the heavy rain across the landscape.  The near-term focus the Chaos Fire is to construct containment lines around the spot fires that crossed over the 2460 road on the east side the Bohemia Mining District.  At this time, damage assessments to structures within the District have not been completed due to challenges in accessing the area because of falling trees – if damage has occurred, it is not expected to be widespread as the majority of the District was not impacted by Friday’s fire activity.  On the southeast flank of the Little Bend Fire hazard trees removal will continue so crews can safely work on suppression repair with the intent of keeping soils in place and debris out of the drainages.  Additional containment on the east side of the Little Bend Fire has occurred and containment lines on the west and southern portions of the fires are holding well. 

Jack and Buckhead Fires:  The Jack Fire is 24,165 acres and the Buckhead Fire is 7,223 acres.  No additional spread of fire continues to be the case along the west, north and northeast perimeters of the fires. On the southeast edge of the Buckhead Fire, crews will continue to work on containing the spot fire north of the 2715 road - this spot fire continues to hold heat as displayed on infrared images.  Information on the nearby Smith Fire can be found at the Devil’s Knob Complex Inciweb page https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7771/.

Near Minky Fire:  The Near Minky Fire is at 4,868 acres. All containment lines are holding well, and there is no significant fire activity.

Evacuations and Closures:  Evacuations and closures are found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7758/.

·  The Lane County Sheriff’s Office has issued a level 3 evacuation for the Bohemia Mining District area.  The evacuation notice can be found at https://bit.ly/3zq4DYJ.

·  Umpqua and Willamette National Forests have temporarily closed areas of both forests due to the Jack Fire, Rough Patch Complex, and Devil's Knob Complex.

·  Amended BLM Roseburg District fire closure: BLM road 24-1-26 (Francis Creek) from the junction with BLM road 25-1E-31 (Canton Creek Road) North to the Roseburg District Boundary in Township 24 South Range 1 West Section 1 will remain closed.

·  Highway 138 between Roseburg and Diamond remains open. Expect short delays for hazard tree removal operations east of Glide. Slow down and be alert.

On Monday morning, Lane County Sheriff's Office rescinded the level 3 (go now) evacuation order on the Chaos Fire for the Bohemia Mining District.  There are currently no evacuation notifications for the fires associated with the Rough Patch Complex or Jack Fire.
https://lanecounty.org/news/rough_patch_complex_fire_information

Incident Summary: On Monday morning, Lane County Sheriff's Office rescinded the level 3 evacuation order on the Chaos Fire for the Bohemia Mining District.  There are currently no evacuation notifications for the Rough Patch Complex or Jack Fire. Additional containment was added on the east side of the Little Bend Fire boosting the Rough Patch Complex containment to 41%. Fuel moistures are still high from this weekend's rain event. Firefighters observed some isolated smoldering and smoke across the complex; however, there was no surface spread. Aerial reconnaissance along the northern portion of the Chaos Fire confirmed that no structures were damaged during last week’s fire growth. The weather will be warm and breezy this week; however, fire growth should be minimal in the coming days.

Chaos and Little Bend Fires:  The Chaos Fire is 28,748 acres, and the Little Bend Fire is 9,408 acres.  Crews began installing hose lays to secure spot fires that crossed over the 2460 road on the east side of the Bohemia Mining District. Firefighters developed a plan to secure the fire growth on Noonday Ridge north of the 2460 road. On the Little Bend Fire, crews removed hazard trees and conducted suppression repair to keep soils in place and remove debris from drainages areas.

Jack and Buckhead Fires:  The Jack Fire is 24,165 acres, and the Buckhead Fire is 7,237 acres. On the southeast edge of the Buckhead Fire, crews plan to use helicopter bucket drops to check the spot fire north of the 2715 road if the fire becomes active as fuels dry. The improved air quality will allow for helicopters to fly as needed this week.  Information on the nearby Smith Fire can be found at the Devil’s Knob Complex Inciweb page https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7771/.

Near Minky Fire:  The Near Minky Fire is at 4,869 acres. All containment lines are holding well, and there is no significant fire activity.

Evacuations and Closures:  Evacuations and closures are found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7758/.

· Umpqua and Willamette National Forests have temporarily closed areas of both forests due to the Jack Fire, Rough Patch Complex, and Devil's Knob Complex.

· Amended BLM Roseburg District fire closure: BLM road 24-1-26 (Francis Creek) from the junction with BLM road 25-1E-31 (Canton Creek Road) North to the Roseburg District Boundary in Township 24 South Range 1 West Section 1 will remain closed.

· Highway 138 between Roseburg and Diamond remains open. Expect short delays for hazard tree removal operations east of Glide. Slow down and be alert.

Fire and Weather:The Rough Patch Fire is 50,290 acres and the Devils Knob is 69,871 acres. The fires are 41% and 49% contained respectively. Warmer and faster winds today will continue to dry dead forest wood and debris, however, there remains quite a bit of moisture in the surface soils which will contribute to muted fire activity today and tomorrow.

Smoke: The small, isolated hot spots within the containment area may become more active today, however should not produce very much smoke. Southeast and later Southwest winds will blow residual smoke from the fires to the northeast. Expect to see haze in the sky above the fire areas. Oregon from I-5 east to Hwy 97 should experience Good air quality. Tomorrow morning southern Oregon may have Moderate air quality because of smoke from fires in central California, but the air should clear by noon as winds carry smoke to the east.

  

Incident Summary:  There was little to no fire growth on the Rough Patch Complex yesterday. Warmer temperatures occurred across the Complex, and fuel moistures decreased. As a result, both smoldering and smoke generation increased throughout the day.  Fire crews made good progress securing spot fire activity on the north and northeast side of Chaos Fire.  Suppression repair work took place on the east side of the Complex.  Warm and breezy weather is forecast later this week.

Today will be the final day for Great Basin Team 2.  The Pacific Northwest Type 2 Team 7, Jason Loomis Incident Commander, will assume command of the Rough Patch Jack Complex tomorrow at 6am.

Chaos and Little Bend Fires:  The Chaos Fire is 28,841 acres, and the Little Bend Fire is 9,417 acres. Firefighters secured several spot fires on the northeast corner of the Chaos Fire along the 2460 road. On the Little Bend Fire, suppression repair teams worked to keep soils in place and remove debris from drainages areas. Crews also improved containment lines along the 3831 road.

Jack and Buckhead Fires:  The Jack Fire is 24,1665 acres, and the Buckhead Fire is 7,237 acres. Fire crews used helicopter water bucket drops to check the movement of the Buckhead Fire north of the 2715 road. Widespread suppression repair work occurred on the south and west edges of these fires. Information on the nearby Smith Fire can be found at the Devil’s Knob Complex Inciweb page https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7771/.

Near Minky Fire:  The Near Minky Fire is at 4,869 acres. No significant fire activity was reported while containment lines are holding well.

Evacuations and Closures:  Evacuations and closures are found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7758/.

·  Umpqua and Willamette National Forests have temporarily closed areas of both forests due to the Jack Fire, Rough Patch Complex, and Devil's Knob Complex.

· Amended BLM Roseburg District fire closure: BLM road 24-1-26 (Francis Creek) from the junction with BLM road 25-1E-31 (Canton Creek Road) North to the Roseburg District Boundary in Township 24 South Range 1 West Section 1 will remain closed.

· Highway 138 between Roseburg and Diamond remains open. Expect short delays for hazard tree removal operations east of Glide. Slow down and be alert.

Fire and Weather:The Rough Patch Fire is 50,351 acres and the Devils Knob is 69,937 acres. The fires are 41% and 49% contained respectively. Today will be slightly cooler and more humid which may dampen fire activity somewhat from yesterday however forest fuels do continue to dry allowing hot spots to smolder and burn.

Smoke:
The small and isolated fires within the containment area will continue to burn today, however these will produce little smoke. This morning southern Oregon may have Moderate air quality because of fires in central California, but the air should clear by noon as winds carry smoke to the east. Expect to see haze in the sky above the fire areas.